Biography of Bass Reeves: The Slave Who Became a Legend

Bass Reeves: The Slave Who Became a Legend

When people talk about legendary lawmen of the old
west there are a few names that most likely will be discussed. The majority of
people are aware of the Earp brothers, the most famous being Wyatt. Pat Garett
and Bat Masterson are a couple other names that are synonymous with the old
west. There is one man, however, that few people are aware of that deserves as
much recognition as all the other lawmen. Bass Reeves was born a slave, but became
a legend.

Growing Up Bass

Bass Reeves was born in Crawford, county, Arkansas
sometime in the year 1838. The boy was raised as a slave in Grayson, county,
Texas with his owner, William S. Reeves, who was a farmer and politician. Bass
took the surname, Reeves, from his master as it was customary for slaves during
that time period. As a slave, Reeves worked as a water boy, quenching the
thirst of the other slaves. When he was old enough he ended up working as a
field hand. As a young adult Bass Reeves became a personal valet, companion and
bodyguard for George Reeves, William’s son. He would work in this capacity
until the Civil War broke out. At this point George would go to fight for the
confederacy, and he took Bass with him.¹

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Very little is known about what exactly Reeves did
during the Civil War. One theory is that he served under Colonel George Reeves’
command in several battles, to include; Pea Ridge and Missionary Ridge. Others
claim that he had escaped slavery during that time. One popular notion is that
Bass and George got into a struggle over a card game, and he used that
opportunity to flee to Indian territory. Being a mountain of a man, standing at
6’2, this idea seemed highly plausible.

Reeves took refuge with numerous tribes, to include
the Cherokee. While living with the indigenous people he developed a great
understanding of their customs, language, and mastered their tracking skills.
Reeves also used this opportunity to enhance his firearm talents. He became
very deadly accurate and swift with his revolver. The Indians trusted Reeves
more than the white lawmen in the territory because of his skin color. They
felt more of a kinship with him. When Reeves learned that he was a free man,
due to the Emancipation Proclamation, he bought some land in Arkansas and became
a successful farmer and rancher. It was here that he met and married Nellie
Jennie with whom he fathered ten children.²

The Legend Begins

It was during this point in Reeves’ life that it
really became interesting. While working as a rancher he was hired on several
occasions as a guide and scout for the U.S. Marshals to execute warrants in the
Indian territories. In May of 1875 the Federal
Western District Court was supervised by Judge Isaac Parker.³ As his
first official act, he appointed U.S. Marshal James F. Fagan to head up 200
deputies to patrol the territory. The Oklahoma Range covered over 75,000 square
miles.⁴ Because of his extensive knowledge of the area and its
people, and his ability to speak several tribal languages, Reeves was hired as
a permanent U.S. Deputy during this period.⁵ Thad Morgan explains
that, “Upon taking the
job, he became the first black deputy U.S. marshal west of the Mississippi.”⁶
Reeves was illiterate but it did not hinder his performance. He would have
someone read the warrants to him and he’d have them memorized before they rode
out. When he issued a warrant for an arrest, he would produce the correct one
each time.⁷

The federal laws stated that every marshal
had to be joined by at least one posse member. Since Reeves worked in Indian
Territories, he often used just one Indian for assistance. He would often ride
alone toward the end of his career. From his short stint in the civil war to
his 35 years as a marshal, and short term as a policeman, Reeves’ life had been
in danger many times. He was in several gunfights with outlaws and he had
survived numerous assassination attempts. Miraculously, Reeves had never been
shot or seriously injured. Reeves was a large and imposing figure as he rode
his white horse. He was always a fancy dresser with shined boots and constantly
wore a large hat. Being ambidextrous he permanently had his two colt revolvers
ready for a quick draw, and he rarely missed.⁸ He would often use
other identities and disguises as a way to issue warrants or capture outlaws.
Even though he had a very intimidating appearance, he was known as a polite and
courteous man with honesty and integrity. He was a fair lawman and treated his detainees
humanely and with respect. While transporting his prisoners, accompanied by a
cook and a at least one posse man, he would ensure that they were well fed and
would even deliver a sermon after each meal.⁹ Even though Reeves was
very fast and accurate with his guns, he did not draw unless he had to. In his
obituary, the Shawnee Herald expressed that, “Bass
Reeves always said that he had never shot a man when it was not necessary for
him to do so in the discharge of his duty to save his own life.”¹⁰

Accomplishments
and Accolades

One of the most
famous tales of Reeves’ accomplishments was how he captured two outlaw
brothers. He had used his disguise mastery to pose as a weary outlaw on the run
from a posse. He convinced the mother of the two brothers to allow him to stay
with her until the men returned home. When the to two outlaws arrived at the
house, they were none the wiser, and were planning to join forces with the man
to continue on with more illegal shenanigans. Before the two siblings awoke the
next morning, he had them locked in handcuffs ready to take them. The mother of
the two men cursed Reeves for miles as he escorted the criminals to the
awaiting posse.¹¹ Probably the most emotional pursuit for Reeves was
arresting one of his own children. His son, Bennie, murdered his wife, and Bass
decided it should be him, that brought his own son to justice. He was tried and
convicted to life in prison. Bennie was later pardoned and spent the remainder
of his life as a model citizen.¹² Bob Dozier was a criminal
mastermind of his day, but was no match for Bass Reeves. Dozier had committed
various crimes, ranging from cattle rustling and bank robbing to murder. He had
eluded many lawmen until Reeves used his superior tracking skills to locate him
in the Cherokee Nation. Dozier refused to surrender, and was ultimately killed
by Reeves in a gunfight between the two men.¹³ Another show of his
incredible skill was against Tom Story. Story was the leader of a gang of horse
thieves. Reeves confronted him to serve an arrest warrant. The outlaw was
caught off guard and panicked. He drew his weapon on the famed marshal, but Reeves
was much faster and shot the man dead.¹⁴ Although Reeves shared a
bond and felt close with some of the tribes in the area, it did not deter him
from chasing Indian outlaws. One of the most famous ones that he tracked down
and arrested was a Seminole named Greenleaf. The man was responsible for
killing seven people and had eluded capture for nearly two decades until Reeves
got him. He also pursued a Cherokee outlaw named Ned Christie, but was
unsuccessful in his capture.¹⁵ The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica
inform people that, “Reeves killed
14 outlaws and apprehended more than 3,000 throughout his tenure.”¹⁶

Trials and Tribulations

Reeves was arrested
for being falsely accused of killing a cook, one of the members of his own
posse in 1887. He stood trial before Judge Isaac Parker, the same man
responsible for launching his career over a decade prior. Reeves was
represented by his friend, U.S. Attorney W.H.H. Clayton and was ultimately
acquitted. Probably the lowest point in his life was when his wife of 30 years
passed way in 1896. Even though he remarried in 1900 to Winnie Sumter, Nellie
was his first love and the mother of his children. Oklahoma gained statehood in
1907 and Reeves was no longer able to remain a deputy marshal. It was not
because he wasn’t physically able to do the job, but it was due to new state
laws that wouldn’t allow African-Americans to hold that position. At this point
Reeves became a police officer in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Although it isn’t
official, it was considered that during this time period there were no crimes
committed on his patrol. Two years later, Reeves was diagnosed with Bright’s
disease, which is a chronic inflammation of the kidneys. This ended his law
enforcement career and later his life on January 12^th, 1910.¹⁷

Due to his closeness
with several Native American tribes and his ability to exist among them so
easily, and the fact that he often rode alone say for an Indian escort, there
has been conjecture that Bass Reeves may have been the basis for the Lone
Ranger. Many people have considered that there are many key similarities among
the exciting fictional character and the real-life legend. One essential
element to this theory is many of Reeves’ prisoners were incarcerated at the
Detroit House of Corrections. This was the city where, in 1933 the world heard
the first radio broadcast of the Lone Ranger.¹⁸ Both of these heroes
demonstrated the same moral compass, and similar skill sets. Encyclopedia
Britannica claims, “While there is no
definitive proof of the connection, Reeves is sometimes speculated to have been
the inspiration for the fictional character the Lone Ranger.”¹⁹
Whether or not Bass Reeves really was the inspiration for such an iconic
character, he himself was truly a legendary hero in his own right.

Notes

1. Kathy Weiser, “Bass Reeves – Black Hero Marshal,” Legends of America, May 2018 https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-bassreeves/.
2. Matt Helm, “Reeves, Bass (1838 – 1910),” African American History in the West, accessed October 30, 2018, https://blackpast.org/aaw/reeves-bass-1838-1910.
3. Weiser, Bass Reeves.
4. Weiser, Bass Reeves.
5. Weiser, Bass Reeves.
6. Quoted in Thad Morgan, Was the Real Lone Ranger a Black Man?, History.com, Feb 1, 2018, https://www.history.com/news/bass-reeves-real-lone-ranger-a-black-man
7. Weiser, Bass Reeves.
8. Weiser, Bass Reeves.
9. Marshall Trimble, “Bass Reeves: U.S. Marshal,” True West Magazine,  October 2, 2017, https://truewestmagazine.com/bass-reeves-u-s-marshall
10. Quoted in Obituary, The Shawnee Herald, Friday, January 14, 1910.  Pg. 3.
11. Trimble, Bass Reeves.
12. Helm, Reeves, Bass.
13. Weiser, Bass Reeves.
14. Weiser, Bass Reeves.
15. Weiser, Bass Reeves.
16. Quoted in Encyclopedia Britannica, Bass Reeves, American Lawman, Accessed October 28, 2018,  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bass-Reeves
17. Weiser, Bass Reeves.
18. Morgan, Lone Ranger.
19. Quoted, Encyclopedia Britannica.

Bibliography

• “Bass Reeves, American Lawman.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Accessed 27 Oct. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bass-Reeves.
• Helm, Matt. “Reeves, Bass (1838-1910).” BlackPast.org, Accessed 30 Oct. 2018, https://blackpast.org/aaw/reeves-bass-1838-1910.
• Morgan, Thad. “Was the Real Lone Ranger a Black Man?” History.com, 1 Feb. 2018, https://www.history.com/news/bass-reeves-real-lone-ranger-a-black-man.
• Obituary, “Death of Famous Negro U.S. Deputy.” The Shawnee Herald, Friday, January 14, 1910, Pg. 3.
• Trimble, Marshall. “Bass Reeves: U.S. Marshal.” True West Magazine.com, 2 Oct. 2017, https://truewestmagazine.com/bass-reeves-u-s-marshall.
• Weiser, Kathy. “Bass Reeves – Black Hero Marshal.” Legends of America.com, May 2018, https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-bassreeves.